Barring getting a vaccine sooner than expected, it seems like we’re in for a longer haul than expected with this once-in-a-century pandemic. Businesses, schools and sports are probably going to be a shell of themselves until the end of the year. There is no denying the fact that we have managed this situation poorly. Americans have had it so good for so long, it possible we thought we were invincible – that we were too good for a pandemic to beat us. Hopefully, we know better by now, and for those of us who are lucky enough to make it to the other side, we need to start thinking about what is next.
Economically, the remnants of the Corona Virus recession will be with us for a lot longer than we expected. A few million businesses will go under permanently, people will travel less, more of us will work from home, and therefore, in my view, every surviving company in the world should start writing a new business plan. You can be certain that things will never be the same again. We already know that companies like Amazon, Netflix, Apple and Microsoft will emerge stronger than before the pandemic, but who else? It’s time for everyone to do more deep thinking about how your business will be affected and how you need to change. Because trust me, everyone needs to brace themselves for some serious changes. The first thing you should do is talk to your kids more about technology, the services they use, the way they communicate and how they get things done. Then we all need to go back to school and start learning again. If there was ever a time to invest in yourselves, this is the time. And please…wear a mask.
By definition, unintended consequences are the results of an action different from what was expected or planned. They are often referenced in relation to changes in policies. I have heard the term used for years, primarily related to government policies. Still, I didn’t realize until recently that much has been written on the subject, and most experts believe that there are three categories of unintended consequences:
I once read that sports are a universal language. Regardless of ethnicity or what language you speak, almost everyone speaks sports. No place has that been more evident than the Olympics, where every four years, we are moved by images of athletic rivals from around the world shaking hands and embracing each other in moving displays of sportsmanship.
Happy Easter! The blog will resume on April 7, 2024.